LEARNING & INNOVATIONS PROGRAMME OFFICER

Deadline: 09 August 2013

Urgent Action Fund-Africa (UAF-Africa), with offices in Nairobi, Kenya and Harare, Zimbabwe; seeks a Learning & Innovations Programme Officer who will translate UAF-Africa’s 2011-2015 strategic plans into innovative and effective development initiatives and results. Guided by feminist principles and values, UAF-Africa advocates for women’s equality, not only as a matter of human rights, but also as a fundamental prerequisite for social justice, global security, and sustainable peace. UAF-Africa supports women activists in Africa through Rapid Response Grant making in four categories: defense of women’s rights in conflict and post conflict situations, escalating socio-political violence or repression; potentially precedent setting legal actions; and protection of women’s human rights defenders. UAF-Africa’s Rapid Response Grant-making is a unique funding model that allows urgent and timely financial response to women’s rights organisations for strategic and time urgent interventions that advance women’s rights or protect the lives of women human rights defenders who often find themselves targeted for their activism.

UAF-Africa also catalyses advocacy and alliance building initiatives in collaboration with other human rights organisations including ground-breaking interventions, convenings, research and publications – to deepen understanding on gender dimensions and implications of particular conflicts including marginalized sexual rights. UAF-Africa provides women with tools needed for strategic engagements and policy advocacy and to encourage knowledge and information sharing in critical areas affecting women’s rights.

The Learning & Innovations Programme Officer is a dynamic team player who is an exceptional, self-driven, astute and analytical team player that possesses a unique hybrid of activist and leadership qualities.

Supported by a values oriented team, s/he has experience at management level, sound knowledge of and commitment to feminist principles and values and women’s human rights issues, and a sophisticated ability to seek out information and trends through various information mediums on matters impacting advancement of women’s human rights on the continent.

The Programme Officer has experience in liaising with diverse and high level partners from varying cultural backgrounds. S/he has respect for minorities, diversity and employs a collaborative working style. S/he must be willing to undertake some regional travel. The selected candidate will report to the Programmes Manager. The position will be based in the candidate’s home country in line with UAFAfrica’s virtual office policy.

Description of Duties

• Identifying and engaging on emerging issues of relevance to UAF-Africa’s mission and vision while keeping abreast of ongoing discourse in the field of women’s rights and UAF-Africa’s strategic areas of work.
• Staying abreast of trends and priority issues affecting women on the continent.
• Identify key gaps in knowledge and research in the field of women’s human rights on the continent in line with UAF-Africa’s strategic plan.
• Help to develop and coordinate research dissemination and follow-up activities, including providing substantive guidance on the future direction of grant making as reflected by current and emerging trends within the field.
• Systematically interact and contribute to grant making, advocacy & alliance building and communications portfolios.
• Development of strategies to advocate for promotion and implementation of women’s rights – inter alia advocacy on UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.
• Conducting outreach missions including in conflict and post-conflict areas to assess areas of intervention and possible funding by UAF-Africa.
• Resource mobilization including proposal development, donor liaison, programme execution, monitoring, evaluation, learning and reporting.
• Establishing and maintaining relationships with partners (civil society, donors) to nurture broader networks and strengthen coalitions.
• Represent UAF-Africa at meetings, conferences- locally, regionally and internationally.

Academic Qualifications

• Master's degree in social sciences, law, gender studies, or other development-related fields.

Relevant Experience

• Progressive gender equality/women’ rights and or social justice experience and knowledge at international level particularly work experience in developing countries.
• In-depth understanding of gender equality and women’s rights issues, particularly in conflict and post conflict African settings.
• A minimum of 3 years of progressively responsible experience in executing diversified national /regional women’s/human rights programmes in a funding setting working on grant making, advocacy, alliance building, action research and communications.
• Demonstrated expertise in successful resource mobilisation.
• Familiarity with the women’s rights development needs in Africa.
• Experience working in a virtual realm is an added advantage.
• Feminist with contextual knowledge of the women’s rights situation on the continent and commitment to adhering to individual and organisational feminist principles and values.
• Sound knowledge of development, results based programming, donor liaison and management frameworks.

Key Skills

• Fluency in written and spoken English. French proficiency will be an added advantage
• Excellent inter-personal, public speaking and negotiation skills
• Sharp writing skills
• Sound M&E knowledge and application skills
• Dynamic character with critical analytical skills
• Alert and in tune with emerging issues on the continent.
• Balanced and intuitive decision-making
• Culturally and politically savvy individual
• Demonstrated ability to anticipate emerging needs and integrate them speedily into priority settings
• Good understanding of electronic communications and standard office computer software

This is an international position that involves extensive travel. Women are strongly encouraged to apply.

To apply: Applicants fulfilling the requirements should submit their application together with a detailed CV and all relevant attachments via email to: nancy@urgentactionfund-africa.or.ke and jobs@urgentactionfund-africa.or.ke with the subject line Learning & Innovations Programme Officer by Friday 9th August 2013.

Categories: NGO, PROGRAM MANAGEMENT